1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a drum towel drier for vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In automatic vehicle washing systems, after a vehicle has been washed, it must be dried. Various types of drying systems have been used, including blowers, but towel driers have long been desirable because they are economical in their use of energy and they are relatively quiet. However, existing towel driers have several disadvantages. The major disadvantage is their bulk. The more successful existing towel driers typically employ two parallel chains from which the towels are suspended. The chains carry the towels over the vehicle to dry the vehicle, then upwardly where the towels are dried, and then carry the towels back to their starting point. The chain system is typically some 20 feet long, because a substantial distance is needed for each towel to fall off the chains into a downwardly hanging position in which it can be used to dry a vehicle. Typical examples of such chain type towel driers are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,504,394. Other types of towel driers, often termed "friction driers" or "curtain driers" are illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,499,180, 3,510,898, 3,517,405, 3,683,441, 3,705,435, 3,711,883, 3,765,043, 3,825,969, and 3,859,686. None of these devices have been able to eliminate the problems inherent in their bulk and/or drying characteristrics.
Drum type towel driers, which are less bulky, have been tested, but in such driers the towels tend to cling to the drum and will not readily fall into the hanging position required for drying the vehicle. One drum type washing appartus is illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,460 but such structure is not readily adapted to providing an efficient drying apparatus.